Mira Costa and Redondo girls volleyball teams will face tough tests early in the season when both squads host rivals in key matches on Thursday.
Defending CIF Division 1AA and State Division 1 champion Redondo will have a bulls eye on its back this season and hosts Mater Dei Thursday at 6 p.m. in a rematch of last season’s CIF and Southern California Regional championship matches.
“We look forward to our home opener versus Mater Dei,” Redondo head coach Tommy Chaffins said. “The last time we played them here was an epic 20-18 set-5 victory which sent us to the state finals. I know both teams will be ready for this highly anticipated rematch of last seasons matches.”
Redondo has already defeated Mater Dei once this season, beating the Monarchs 20-25, 35-21, 15-13 in the fifth-place match at the 33rd annual Ann Kang Invitational tournament in Honolulu, Hawaii.
The Sea Hawks went 6-2 with both losses coming in three sets. CIF-SS Division 1AA adversary Santa Margarita defeated Punahou 22-25, 25-15, 15-12 for the championship in a tournament where no team went undefeated.
“We found out what our strengths are, and what we need to work on, and I think we also found our best lineup. Also, the team created a lot of lifelong memories in a beautiful setting.”
Redondo’s Megan Rice and Mater Dei outside hitter Shannon Scully were named to the all-tournament team.
Seniors Norene Iosia and Rice are Redondo’s co-captains this season and will play vital roles as the Sea Hawks attempt to replace four talented players from its State Championship squad.
Iosia is a three-time All-CIF setter who was named a USA today High School Pre-Season 1st team All American and committed to Hawaii. She was named National Junior Player of the Year in 2014 and is committed to the University of Hawaii.
Rice, a UC Santa Barbara commit, came on strong during last season’s playoff run and is expected to be a vital cog in the Sea Hawk’s offense.
“Katie Barkley and Amanda Tsao have been passing strong, so we should be in the mix with every team we play,” Chaffins said. “We got strong performances from Sophia Loiola, Kacey Baker, and promising freshman Kyla Doig out of the middle. Maddie Relaz has firmly claimed the opposite spot as of the moment.”
Chaffins knows it won’t be easy to replace Yaasmeen Bedart-Ghani, Abril Bustamante, Kristen Hamlin and Hayes Honea.
“One of our strengths is we have a lot of championship experience returning, although we did lose four exceptional seniors last year,” Chaffins explained. “We do not have anywhere close the same kind of firepower, but we have enough. We will have to out grind our opponents this year and play low-error volleyball to compensate for our reduced offensive firepower. Our team understands this and we look forward to the upcoming season.”
Prior to competing in the prestigious Durango Fall Classic in Las Vegas, Nev. beginning Sept. 18, Redondo will play two road matches against Orange Lutheran (Sept. 15) and Bishop Montgomery (Sept. 17).
Mira Costa is looking to reclaim the Bay League crown and Mustang head coach Hayley Lawson-Blanchard is impressed with her team.
Mira Costa resumes its longtime rivalry with Marymount hosting the Sailors at 5:15 p.m. on Thursday. Marymount opened its season with a 3-1 loss to Corona del Mar.
Mira Costa began the 2015 campaign by winning the Elite Division championship at the Queens Court tournament held at Foothill High School in Tustin.
“Winning Queens Court and taking down two top Southern California teams (Great Oak and Vista Murrieta) was huge for us,” Lawson-Blanchard said. “We were really impressed with the overall level of play, and it showed the girls that this really can be the year where we take back the Bay League and bring home a CIF banner.”
Junior outside hitter Alexa Underwood has been the Mustangs kill leader this season, both at the Queens Court tournament and in a three-game sweep of Edison.
Mira Costa returns two key players from its 2014 squad that reached the Division 1AA quarterfinals before falling to Mater Dei in a hard fought five-set match.
Senior Emma Smith was the Bay League Libero of the Year last season and is committed to Hawaii for indoor and beach volleyball.
Long Beach State commit and senior opposite/outside hitter Ashley Anselmo also returns.
Lawson-Blanchard expects big seasons from a pair of underclassmen. Junior middle blocker Alexia Inman is quick and athletic and is committed to UC Berkeley for beach volleyball and sophomore Piper Monk-Heidrich (UCLA commit for beach volleyball) is what her coach calls “A stud middle blocker with huge blocking skills and great athleticism.”
Lawson-Blanchard is excited about upcoming challenges, including the Durango Fall Classic. The Mustangs will have a final tune-up before leaving for Las Vegas, playing at South Torrance Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 5:15 p.m.
“A number of the girls were on the court last year when we won the Santa Barbara Tournament of Champions,” Lawson-Blanchard said. “Now this year’s entire team has gotten the taste of a pre-season championship, and it just makes them hungry for more.”
